Optician s instrument for adjusting



No. 6I0,3Ul. Patented Sept. 6, |898.

S. W. GRAY. OPTICIANS INSTRUMENT FUR ADJUSTING SPECTACLES.

(Application filed Jan. 20, 1898.)

No Modem UNITED f :STATES Frrcn.

SILAS WV. GRAY, OF FORT DODGE, IOIVA, ASSIGNOR TO THE GENEVA OPTICALCOMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

OPTICIANS INSTRUMENTFO'R ADJUSTING SPECTACLES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 610,301, datedSeptember 6, 1898.

Application filed January 20, 1898. Serial No. 667,225. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, SILAS W. GRAY, of Fort Dodge, in the county ofWebster and State of Iowa, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Opticians Instruments for Adjusting Spectacles, of whichthe following is a full, clear, and eXact description, reference beinghad to the accompanying drawings, forming apart of this specification,in which similar letters of reference in the different figures indicatelike parts.

- The object of my invention is to construct an instrument in which anumber of calipers are so combined that the general outline of any givenexterior surface, regular or irregu- 1 lar, .may be determined andaccurately regis-- r in obtaining data for determining the varyingshapes required for spectacle nose-bridges by different individuals.

A further object is to so combine said instrument with the usualspectacle trial-frame that not only the relative size and contour of thespectacle-brid ge may be determined thereby, but the requisite anglethereof to the line of the nose as well.

I accomplish these results in the manner hereinafter more particularlydescribed and claimed.

In the drawings, Figure l is a plan View of' my improved device. Fig. 2is a like view as it would appear upon removing the top. Iiig. 3 is acentral longitudinal vertical sectional View thereof. Fig. 4f is adetail view showing the manner in which an impression may be taken upona card to preserve the registration of a given contour, and Fig. 5 is` aside view of my improved instrument as applied to a spectacletrial-frame for the purpose of determining the angle-of the nosebridgeas applied to a given profile.

Referring to the drawings, c represents the case of my improved device,which ispreferably formed from sheet metal, having a top lid b, which ishinged at c. The front end is cut inwardly from each side toward themiddle at angles oblique to the sides, as shown at d d, the front end ofthe case beingleft open. A block c, having an inwardly-curved face, isintended to act as a stop to rest against the nose-crestand form a stopfor the purpose hereinafter stated, said stop being preferably attachedto the upturned iiange f of a plate g, Fig. 3, which is attached tothebottom of the case. A shouldered stud or screw h', having an enlargedhead, is tapped into the plate g at a point near the center of the case,which serves as a pivot for a series, preferably six, of bentcaliper-arms 1', which are bored midway between the ends to receive saidstud upon which they aremounted. Interposed between the respectivecaliper-arms are metal Washers j, Figs. 2 and 3, which are heldstationary by means of a pin 7c, which is projected through them andinto the casing. By means of the screw-stud a sufficient pressure may beplaced upon the arms, so that the frictional contact may hold themnormally in any given position in which they may be placed, each armbeing capable of movement independently of its fellows.

j The arms a' are arranged in pairs of three different lengths, thelonger pair being intended to occupy the outermost position laterally,the shorter'pair the innermost, and the remaining pair, which is midwaybetween the others in length, occupying the intermediate position. Theblock e is interposed between, so as to engage the innermost arms andlimit their movement toward each other, While pins Z Z, Fig. 3, areplaced upon the outeredge of the outside arms in such a way that whenthe ends of the latter are moved toward each other the intervening armsare moved into contact with the ends of the block c. The forward ends ofthe caliper-arms project beyond the case, as shown, and are providedupon the ends, preferably, with knobs m or their equivalent, so as notto cause injury or pain to the person to whom they are applied. Theopposite ends are' provided with 'upwardly-projecting pointed pins n,Figs. 2 and 3. Stationary pins o o are also secured in the rear portionof the case and sustain the same positional relation to the pins n thatthe block c does to the knobs m.

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A pad p, of cork, leather, or other suitable material, is attached tothe inner face of the lid, so that when the lid is closed the pinsproject therein.` By raising the lid and inserting a piece of paper qbetween it and the pins and then closing the lid the pins are caused topuncture the paper, the position of the puuctures corresponding to thoseof the arms in which the pins are placed. Inasmuch as the relativeposition of the pins must always correspond to that of the knobs uponthe opposite ends of the arms it follows that the punctures made by theformer may be taken as an exact registration of any given contourindicated by the relative positions of the knobs. For example, assumingthat the angle of a given surface is to be determined, which isrepresented by the dotted lines shown in Fig. 2, the caliper-arms arefirst moved to a normal position toward each other, and then the ballsare pressed against the outer surface of the object until the foremostpart of the object touches the stop e. The instrument is then withdrawnand a register made by puncturing the paper in the manner described.Such a registration is indicated in Fig. 4. It is obvious that if thecaliper-arms should iirst be moved toward each other and then that theballs should be placed against the nose-bridge of a person and presseduntil the part e Were in contact with the crest of the nose thepositions of the pins would indicate the exact contour of the nose,thereby affording data by which to shape a spectacle-bridge. While Iprefer to use the pins for making the registration, it is obvious thatit may be accomplished in various wayssuch, for example, as by pressingthe' knobs atwise upon carbon-paper, wax, or other equivalent surface.

In Fig. 5 I have shown a modication of said invention, in which theforward end of the case is shown to be hinged at r to any Wellknown formof spectacle trial-frame s, the points of juncture being such that thenotch in the front of the caliper-case may span the nose of the one towhom the trial-frame is applied. A protractor-scale t is rigidlyattached to the case a, and a pointer u is arranged to projecthorizontally7 from the trial-frame. When the case a is in a position atright angles to the line of the nose, the reading is taken from thescale, which indicates the proper angle of divergence from the verticalat which the nosebridge of the spectacles should be placed.

Having thus described my invention, I claim-.

l. An instrument of the class described consisting of .a number ofcaliper-arms of different lengths pivoted upon a common axis, and meansfor registering the contour indicated by the relative positions of saidcaliper-arms, substantially as described.

2. An instrument of the class described consisting essentially of aseries of pivoted caliper-arms arranged in pairs of different lengths,each arm being provided with a pin upon the end opposite the caliperend, Whereby when a given surface is calipered, the pins may be causedto assume positions indicating a diagram corresponding to the contour ofthe surface calipered, substantially as described.

3. An instrument of the class described consisting essentially of aseries of caliper-arms pivoted at a relatively corresponding pointbetween the ends, said arms being arranged in pairs, the pairs being ofdifferent lengths, each of said arms being provided with anupwardly-projecting pin upon the end opposite the caliper end incombination with means for taking a paper or other impression from saidpins, substantially as described.

4. vThe combination in an instrument of the class described of thecentrally-pivoted caliper-arms t', provided with the contact-knobs fm,upon one end, and the pins n upon the other, means for securing saidarms by frictional Contact upon the pivoted point whereby each may beactuated independently of the others, and means, such as a hinged lidlined with a yielding material, for taking a paper or other impressionfrom said pins, substantially as described.

5. An opticians instrument for the purpose set forth, consisting of aseries of pairs of pivoted caliper-arms having pins or equivalentregistering devices upon the ends opposite the caliper ends, means formaintaining said arms in Whatever relative position they may be set bycontact with the calipered surface a stationary stop for engaging onepoint upon the calipered surface, and stationary pins upon the oppositeside of the pivotal point from said stop and holding a correspondingpositional relation to the pins that the stop holds to the testing endsof the caliper-arms, substantially as described.

6. The combination of an instrument of the class described consisting ofa series of calipers and a suitable frame with a spectacle testing-frameand means for indicating the angle of variation of the caliper-framefrom a given predetermined line, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification, in the presenceof two subscribing Witnesses, this 15th day of January, 1898.

SILAS XV. GRAY. lVitnesses:

D. H. FLETCHER, FLORENCE KING.

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